Love by the Book ⭐⭐⭐💫

Love by the Book by Jessica George

NetGalley

Friendship is the love story you can count on.

Remy is lucky. Her debut novel, based on her three best friends, became an instant bestseller when it was released, and her agent and publisher are clamoring for a follow-up. But just as Remy’s creative inspiration seems to leave her, so too do her friends: one moves to New York, one gets pregnant, and one gets back together with her (awful) boyfriend. After an ill-advised one-night stand complicates matters further, Remy is left deeply alone—and unable to find her next book idea.

Simone is successful. A Kindergarten teacher with a passion for kids, and a well-paying side hustle that affords her all the material comforts she desires, she doesn't have time for a robust social life. All Simone needs is her close-knit family—but after the true nature of her work is revealed, they cut her off, and she realizes for the first time just how isolated she is.

When Simone and Remy bump into each other (literally) in a bookstore, it isn’t exactly soulmates at first sight. Simone is guarded and prickly, Remy is insecure and heartbroken, and each woman is harboring a secret. And yet they might just be the missing piece the other has been searching for—if only they can let each other in.

Can Simone help Remy make one of the most important decisions of her life—and can Remy help Simone recover all that she’s lost? In Jessica George’s heartwarming, funny, and soulful second novel, she explores the restorative nature of female friendship and the life-changing power of platonic love.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Friendship, Romance, Chick Lit, Books About Books

The How/Why: NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐💫 3.5

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉🎉🎉🎊

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Maybe 🤷 If you enjoy stories about female friendships.

 🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ 

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author?  Maybe 🤷 

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? No

🌶 Spice? A little hint of heat

🌪 Plot Twist? A smidge

👟 Pace? Had its ups and downs ↕️

💻 Tidbits ~ Not your typical Romance, this book is about female friendships and grieving of friendships that are fading away. No arguments or misunderstandings, but how our lives go in different directions. An example of how careers, sometimes significant others, children, and other family dynamics come between us. 

Remy writes a book about her three best friends and it is an insta-bestseller. Now her friends seemed to have gone in other directions. She’s lost for friendship as well as inspiration for her next book.  

She “bumps” into Simone at a bookstore and they meet over spilled wine. They seem to hit it off so Remy asks Simone if she’d like to get coffee sometime. “No” was not the response Remy was expecting. They do become friends but not without a lot of effort on Remy’s part since Simone isn’t really interested.

Sadly Remy is under extreme pressure to write her next book so she uses her newfound and fragile friendship with Simone for writing inspiration. Simone has shared a secret with an expectation of confidentiality. A secret that could affect her career and her side business. Remy didn’t ask Simone if it was okay to write about their developing friendship and stories they've shared.
I was prepared to be mad about it. Remy had a lot of explaining to do to her agent, her friend, and to me! 

There is an unplanned pregnancy on the table and a lot of discussions about options and decision making. 

I deducted 1.5 stars. 
-One star for the pacing being slow moving making me feel like it was too long. 
-Half star for the Book Within A Book. Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish if the author was writing the book or if Remy was writing the book within.
-Half star for Remy being not all that likeable. I felt like she was needy and pushy.
+Half star (added back in) for her friends being there for here when she needed them most. Although they had all drifted apart, they showed up when she sent a distress signal. That's what friendship is all about IMO. 

🎧 Narrator: Isabel Adomakoh Young

🎧12.0 hours 🕮 366 pages

Not yet published. Expected 4-07-2026

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

14 and counting


Extra Tidbit - Not part of my review:
Something to ponder - I don't get the title. I asked Librarian Google to explain. Answer was that a love story can be platonic female friendship rather than tradition romance. But wouldn't that be Love Not By The Book?

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